Wind power demand drives Siemens expansion

Siemens Drives Technologies is building a second plant in Elgin, IL, for its drives technologies business to increase production of drives for wind turbines. Siemens, the largest producer of wind turbine gear drives in the U.S., designs and manufactures mechanical gear drives for the wind industry as well as for the cement, coal and minerals, and oil and gas industries.

The multimillion-dollar plant, which is expected to open March 2009, will create approximately 300 new jobs in production and 55 in the offices over the next three to four years. The plant now employs 150 people.

The State of Illinois and the City of Elgin provided incentives to Siemens to help secure the investment, including a Wind Energy Development Grant and Employer Training Investment Program job training funds.

Siemens will invest more than $20 million in building infrastructure to support the new plant for production, in addition to the cost of a 15-year lease for the new building, which will be used for the assembly and testing of mechanical gear drives. The existing plant will be maintained by Siemens to manufacture gears and components to be assembled and tested in the new plant. It will house the services and repairs business.

www.sea.siemens.com

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